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I can't stress enough how indispensable I find this cookbook. Divided into easy-to-use sections (for individual beans, vegetables, grains, dairy products, and soups, salads, drinks, and additional seasonings), clearly written and supplemented with cultural anecdotes and tips, Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian is encyclopedic in scope, but full of individual treasures. Even if you're someone who eats meat regularly, this book is worth investigating for its troves of recipes which will surely supplement your meals.

Something I especially appreciate about this book is that it doesn't use any overly-processed convenience foods (such as frozen vegetarian faux-meat), something other vegetarian cookbooks sometimes incorporate. In Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian, with the exception of one seitan recipe for a mock lamb curry, Jaffrey doesn't try to trick your palate into thinking you're eating meat. She seems to think the ingredients of a vegetarian diet can--and do--stand on their own.

One caveat: I often find myself doubling or even tripling the quantities of spices, garlic, ginger, etc. that the recipes call for.